Encore Experiences, formerly known as the Harleysville Senior Center, held an open house Thursday night to celebrate its accreditation from the National Council on Aging. Encore Experiences Executive Director Robin Burstein says fewer than 200 of the nation’s 6,000 full-time senior centers are accredited, so it’s not easy.

“It’s a lot of work to prove that you function as an organization as well as you do. We were the 185th senior center to become nationally accredited. The Peak Center in Lansdale has been accredited for several years and Generations in Souderton is in the process of becoming accredited, so in the North Penn area we are very rich with wonderfully run senior centers.”

Burstein Says the National Council on Aging had one person review notebooks full of paperwork, while another person spent two days at Encore Experiences talking to people and watching how they operated.